Martina lost 111 pounds

Featured weight loss success story: Martina lost 111 pounds.  She no longer suffers from pre-diabetes, sleep apnea, knee issues or high blood pressure.  She wrote to us and shared how making lifestyle changes helped her get healthy:

“Hi. My name is Martina and I am a 33 year old woman, wife and mother of two girls. I’ve lost a total of 111 pounds in 14 months. I used to weigh 253 pounds.  Now I weigh 142 pounds with the help of diet and exercise and the support of my family and friends. On July 14, 2012, I had a breast reduction and weighed 253 lbs at the time of my surgery. After my surgery, I decided to lose weight for various reasons. I decided to lose weight due to my health. I was borderline type 2 diabetic with high cholesterol, back problems and facing other health issues. I was also having heavy menstrual cycles, had trouble walking and sleep apnea. I was at my heaviest, so I decided that enough was enough.

Six weeks after my breast reduction surgery, with the support from my husband, I decided to join the gym.  I changed my eating habits by changing my portion sizes, cutting back on sweets and unhealthy snacks and eating more fruits and veggies.  I stopped eating pork and beef, drinking soda and sweet tea’s. I started drinking more water and green tea, walking and working out at home. I also downloaded an app on to my phone called My Fitness Pal that helped a lot with my weight loss. In the beginning, I worked out 7 days/week with cardio and did strength training for 1 to 2 hours.  I cut back to only eating 1500 calories/day or less. Now, I work out 5 days/week for at least 30 to 60 mins with cardio and strength training.  I eat no more than 1800 calories/day. I feel healthier, younger, and stronger than I ever did when I was in my teens and twenties. Since my weight loss, my cholesterol has gone down dramatically.  I’m not facing type 2 diabetes anymore and I don’t have trouble walking up and down the stairs due to knee issues.  Also, no more sleep apnea, my blood pressure is low and my menstrual cycles are not as heavy anymore.  Since my breast reduction, I went from a size 46DDD to a size 36C. My motivation was my family, my friends and looking at old pics of myself and saw how unhealthy I was. My advice is to keep holding on and believe in yourself and with prayer, determination, dedication, and hard work anything is possible.”